Synopsis

According to ABC newscaster John Stossel, “There are alot of popularly held beliefs out there that simply aren’ttrue. Yet the media tend to report on many of them asthough they were hard facts.” In this segment of ABC’s20/20, Stossel debunks a top ten list of beliefs on topicsranging from the common cold to the amount of garbagethat Americans generate. (Are we “drowning ingarbage”—or not?) In order to disprove these “lies,myths” and examples of “downright stupidity,” Stosselinterviews and obtains data from public health experts,sociologists, politicians, the IRS, and ordinary Americans,among others.

The DVD contains the following chapters. Chapters 1 and7 are science-related, while the other chapters presentsocial studies topics. You might use any or all chapters aspart of a language arts unit focussing on critical thinking,drawing conclusions, and identifying facts and opinions.

Teacher’s Guide

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Subjects: Social Studies and Language ArtsGrade Levels: 6–12ISBN: 1-932644-55-5Product: 77C22VL00Running Time: 40:11

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Chapter 1: The Common Cold

Myth #10—Getting cold can give you a cold. Stosselinterviews a public health expert, some Polar Bears(wintertime swimmers who brave icy waters), andsome shivering young men playing a game of “skinsagainst shirts” football. The upshot? Viruses—notchilly weather—cause colds.

Chapter 2: Less Free Time

Myth #9—We have less free time than we used to.With the help of a sociological researcher and sometypical American families, Stossel discovers that wehave more free time today than in the past.

Chapter 3: Two Incomes Needed

Myth #8—American families need two incomes. Ordo they? Stossel reveals that most families could dowithout that second income if they would bewilling to give up the quest for luxuries such asthird cars.

Chapter 4: Money and Happiness

Myth #7—Money can buy happiness. Mega-richbrothers Russell Simmons and Reverend Run, whoearned their millions in the hip-hop music business,agree that satisfying work, close families, andreligious beliefs make people happy—not money. Aresearcher backs up their claim.

Chapter 5: Republicans Shrink Government

Myth #6—Republicans shrink the government.Stossel uses government budget statistics to showthat even though Republicans rail against “BigGovernment,” it doesn’t stop them from bulking itup. Stossel also reveals that Republican lawmakersgenerate as much “pork” as their Democraticcounterparts.

Chapter 6: Fair Share of Taxes

Myth #5—The rich don’t pay their fair share oftaxes. Stossel interviews Al Sharpton, a contenderfor the Democratic Party’s 2004 presidential

nomination. Sharpton claims that the richest onepercent of taxpayers (those earning over $300,000per year) should be paying at least fifteen percentof the total tax burden. But Stossel uses IRSstatistics to show that these wealthy few areactually paying 34 percent!

Chapter 7: Chemicals Killing Us

Myth #4—Chemicals are killing us. In the 1960s and70s, Americans turned against the pesticide DDT,largely in reaction to the book Silent Spring byenvironmentalist Rachel Carson. Yet Stossel inter-views a disease control expert who contends that, ifused wisely, this chemical could kill malaria-carrying mosquitoes and save millions of lives.Stossel argues that due to “political correctness,”U.S. government agencies refuse to help fundlifesaving DDT spraying in countries such asUganda. The pro-DDT expert calls this refusal“medical malpractice” and “murderous.”

Chapter 8: World’s Too Crowded

Myth #3—The world is getting too crowded.Although there are billions of people living on ourplanet today, there is plenty of room for all, Stosselasserts. In fact, if the entire world populationmoved to Texas, we would be less cramped thancurrent New York City residents are. Stossel usesUnited Nations statistics to contend that we areproducing more than enough food for all. Famines,he says, are due to civil wars and mismanagementof food supplies rather than overpopulation.

Chapter 9: Drowning in Garbage

Myth #2—We’re drowning in garbage. According toStossel, this misconception was fueled by a 1987news story about a garbage barge on theMississippi River. The barge was full of compactedtrash from New York, and due to some businesssnafus, the owners could not find a landfill thatwould accept their smelly cargo. Stossel interviewsa landfill professional who explains that actually weAmericans have plenty of room to bury our garbagefor thousands of years to come.

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Objectives

The student will:

■ learn about scientific topics such as diseasecontrol and environmental pollution;

■ explore ethical, philosophical, and sociologicalissues such as the relationships amongmeaningful work, free time, family income,desire for material goods, and happiness;

■ use critical thinking to detect faulty logic anddistinguish between fact and opinion;

■ determine whether to accept others’ opinionsas valid, based on their credentials and thekinds of evidence they present;

■ begin to understand and appreciate differencesin historical perspectives, recognizing thatinterpretations are influenced by individualexperiences, societal values, and cultural tradi-tions;

Background Information

John Stossel

Born in 1947, John Stossel is a 1969 graduate ofPrinceton University, where he earned a BA inpsychology. He started his journalism career as aresearcher for a Portland, Oregon, televisionstation. When ABC TV first hired him, Stosselbecame the consumer editor on Good MorningAmerica. He joined ABC’s newsmagazine show,20/20, in 1981 and rose to the role of co-anchor(with Barbara Walters) in 2003. Stossel beganhosting his own one-hour specials in 1994. Onthese and on his 20/20 opinion segment calledGive Me a Break, he deals skeptically with topicsranging from pop culture to politics to censorshipto widely believed but unfounded fears. Stossel hasreceived many honors for his work, including 19Emmy Awards.

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Chapter 10: Life: Better or Worse?

Myth #1—Life is getting worse. To debunk thispessimistic viewpoint, Stossel enlists the help of a fewcheerful centenarians and economist Stephen Moore,author of It’s Getting Better All the Time: 100 GreatestTrends of the Last 100 Years. Today, they point out,killer diseases such as diphtheria and rheumatic feverare all but forgotten. Due to advances in medicine, welive far longer. Thanks to laborsaving devices, our jobsand daily chores are far less grueling. And despitewhat some say, our air and water are growing lessrather than more polluted. To emphasize this, JohnStossel takes a dip in New York’s Hudson River, whereit’s no longer illegal to swim.

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Preview Questions

Ask these questions prior to viewingChapter 1: The Common Cold.

1. What do you think causes people to catchcolds? Can going outside without a coat on anicy winter day cause you to catch a cold? Howdo you know?

Ask these questions prior to viewing Chapter 2, 3, 4.

2. How would you define “free time”? How manyfree hours do you think you have per week,when school is in session? Do you thinkAmericans have more or less free time todaythan they did when your parents or grand-parents were your age? What evidence can yousite to support your belief?

3. How many families do you know in which bothparents work? Do you think that most Americanfamilies need two incomes in order to survivefinancially? What evidence can you cite tosupport your belief?

4. You’ve probably heard people say that moneycan’t buy happiness. Do you think this is trueor false? Do you think you and your familywould be happier if you had a little or even alot more money? Explain why you think so.

Ask these questions prior to viewing Chapter 5 & 6.

5. What do politicians mean by the term “BigGovernment”? Which national political party istraditionally against Big Government, theRepublicans or the Democrats? Where did youhear that this is so?

6. Almost every American who works or has anincome pays taxes. Do you think that verywealthy Americans pay their “fair share” of taxes?

What percentage of our country’s tax burden doyou think the richest one percent should pay?How about the richest five percent? Can youguess what percentage they actually pay?

Ask these questions prior to viewing Chapter 7, 8, 9.

7. What do you think of when you hear the wordchemicals? Can you name some helpfulchemicals? Some toxic ones? What are pesti-cides? Have youheard of a pesticidecalled DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane)? Doyou think it isharmful or helpful?

8. Have you heard theterms “populationexplosion” and“population bomb”?What do they mean?About how manypeople are alive today? Is the world’spopulation growing or shrinking? Are there toomany people alive today, too few, or about theright number? Explain why you think so andwhere you learned this information.

9. What happens to our garbage after trashcollectors pick it up? What is a landfill? Do wehave enough space in which to stow all thegarbage that we discard? How do you know?

Ask these questions prior to viewingChapter 10.

10. In the early 1900s, were people healthier,safer, or happier than they are today? Werepeople’s jobs and household chores harder oreasier? Think about news you read in the

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Postviewing Questions

Ask these questions after viewing Chapter 1:The Common Cold.

1. What causes people to come down with colds?Whom does John Stossel interview in order toprove this? If getting cold does not cause colds,why do people catch more colds during winter?

Ask these questions after viewing Chapter 2, 3, 4.

2. Do Americans have more or less free time todaythan they did in the past? Why is this so? Howdoes Stossel refute the assumption thatAmericans have very little free time? What isthe number one free time activity in America?Why do Americans think they have less freetime than they actually have?

3. Do most American families need two incomes inorder to survive financially? Working momSherri Kowalski dislikes her job—so why doesshe continue to do it? What does “keeping upwith the Joneses” mean? If it meant that youcould buy expensive possessions, would youcontinue to do a job that you hated? What doyou think about the fact that the Kowalskishave three cars?

4. Are very wealthy people happier than those withless money? What do Russell Simmons and hisbrother Reverend Run say about this issue? Do youbelieve them? Why or why not? According to JeanChatsky (the researcher/author that Stossel inter-views) can having an extra ten or twenty thousanddollars per year make a low-income family happier?

Once a family’s income reaches $50,000 per year,will earning an even greater income make themhappier still? What does make people happy,according to the people Stossel talks with? Whydo you think so many people are convinced thatmore money will make them happier?

Ask these questions after viewing Chapter 5 & 6.

5. In the past 75 years, have Republican presidentsand lawmakers made our national governmentsmaller or larger? If this is so, why do you thinkRepublican politicians continue to criticize “BigGovernment”? What is legislative “pork”? Whydoes U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski think that herstate, Alaska, deserves more federal money thanother states? What happens when she begins toargue that Alaska’s museums should be federallyfunded because they are “different” frommuseums in other states? What kinds of programsdo you think our federal government should andshould not pay for? Why?

6. Does John Stossel convincingly show that richAmericans do pay their “fair share” of ournational tax burden? Who is Al Sharpton, andwhy does Stossel interview him? According toIRS statistics, what percent of taxes do thewealthiest one percent pay (those who make over$300,000 per year)? What percent do the topfive percent pay (those earning over $125,000per year)? Do these statistics surprise you? Ifyou still think that rich Americans don’t pay theirfair share of taxes, what facts would you need tofind in order to support your opinion?

Ask these questions after viewing Chapter 7, 8, 9.

7. Before you watched this portion of the show,did you believe that “chemicals are killing us”?

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newspaper, hear on the radio, or watch on TV. Doesthe news give you the impression that things todayare getting better or worse? Explain your answer.

Did John Stossel’s arguments change yourmind? Stossel states that “It’s the dose thatmakes the poison.” What does this mean? Doyou agree with this statement? Why didAmericans turn against the pesticide DDT? Doyou think that USAID (the U.S. Agency forInternational Development) should change itspolicy and begin funding DDT sprayingprograms in countries such as Uganda? Givereasons for your opinion.

8. Define the expressions “population explosion”and “population bomb.” John Stossel does notbelieve that our world is growing too crowded.How does he support his opinion?

9. What happened in 1987 that caused Americansto worry that we were “drowning in garbage”?Whom does Stossel interview in order todisprove this impression?

Ask these questions after viewing Chapter 10.

10. If you didn’t already think so, did this portionof the show convince you that people arebetter off today than they were in the early1900s? What did you learn that you did notknow before you watched the show? Whatpersuasive techniques does John Stossel use toconvince you to share his point of view? Whatdo diphtheria, influenza, and rheumatic feverhave in common? According to author StephenMoore, why did many people leave their farmsand move to towns and cities?

Suggested Activities

1. Prior to viewing Lies, Myths, and DownrightStupidity, distribute copies of the ResponseChart at the end of this Guide. Have studentsfill in the chart as they watch the DVD. Theninvite them to share and discuss their opinions,feelings, and questions about the issues thatJohn Stossel raises. Help students distinguishverifiable facts from opinions that Stossel andhis interviewees present. If some studentsdisagree with conclusions that the 20/20reporter draws, encourage them to explain why.Ask them to do library and Internet research toback up their views.

2. Read aloud the following statements. Askstudents to tell who makes the statement, andwhat the speaker means by it.

• “I don’t know, but I’ve been told: Polar Bearsjust don’t catch cold!”

• “If I didn’t have this job, financially wewouldn’t make it.”

• “If I know fifteen billionaires, I know thirteenunhappy people.”

• “We want our country back for ordinaryAmericans!”

• “It’s a very delicate issue to use in anothercountry something we won’t use in our owncountry.”

• “How many people do they want us to losebefore we use DDT?”

• “In the United States there’s plenty of land toproperly dispose of our solid waste forthousands of years.”

• “The good old days weren’t so good. Life wasnasty, brutish, and short.”

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Activities to accompany Chapter 1: TheCommon Cold.

3. Have students conduct a survey to determinewhether older people are more likely to believethe myth that “getting cold will give you acold.” Tell them to write survey questions thatdo not reveal the truth—that viruses causecolds, not cold weather. Before they conducttheir survey, students should write a hypothesisthat predicts what their research will reveal.Then they can survey grandparents, parents,schoolmates, and friends of various ages. Havestudents write a few paragraphs to sum uptheir survey results. Ask them to includegraphic aids in their summary.

4. Some medical researchers believe that people aremore likely to become ill when they are physi-cally exhausted and/or living under emotionallystressful conditions. Have students do Internetresearch to find recent scientific studies on thesetopics. They can report their findings to the classin short oral presentations.

Activities to accompany Chapter 2, 3, 4.

5. Stossel interviews sociologist John Robinson ofthe University of Maryland. In order tocalculate how much free time people actuallyhave, Robinson has asked them to keep timediaries. Have students estimate how much freetime they have during a typical week whenschool is in session. Then have them keep anhonest, detailed time diary for a week. (Assurethem that they may keep their diary private ifthey wish to.) At the end of the week, ask howstudents’ estimates compared with theirfindings. Encourage them to tell what surprisedthem most about the ways they spend theirtime. Ask whether they want to spend their

time any differently, based on what they havelearned.

6. Have students do Internet or library researchon one of the following, or on another time-and laborsaving device or machine:

• the washing machine• the clothes dryer• the dishwasher• the microwave oven• the vacuum cleaner

Students can create a bulletin board displayshowing what life was like without theinvention, who invented it, how he or shethought of the idea, how it has developed sinceit was invented, and how much time it saves.

Sources on this topic include:

• Homework Help on the website About.com. Goto http://inventors.about.com. Use the Searchfunction to find information on specific inven-tions.

• Inventors: From Da Vinci to Bird by Straun Reid(Usborne Books, 1994)

• 1,000 Inventions and Discoveries by Roger andFrances Bridgman (DK Publishing, 2002)

• Toilets, Toasters & Telephones: The How and Whyof Everyday Objects by Susan Goldman Rubinand Linda Zuckerman, editor (Harcourt, 1998)

7. Ask students to name some household andpersonal items that they consider necessities,and some others that they would categorize asluxuries. For example, is a television set anecessity or a luxury? How about a refrigerator?A telephone? A cell phone? A car? A second orthird car? A home computer? Encourage debate

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regarding the most controversial items. Finally,have students vote on each item and re-categorize it if necessary. Based on thisdiscussion, students can write an essay thatdefines the terms necessity and luxury.

8. John Stossel interviews brothers RussellSimmons and Reverend Run to help answer thequestion Can money buy happiness? Havestudents research and write short biographies onthe brothers’ careers. Students can read theirbiographies aloud to the class. You might usethis activity as the basis for a discussion on thefollowing question: If someone who is verywealthy says that money can’t buy happiness,should we believe him or her? Why or why not?[Note that most Internet articles on thesebrothers mention drugs (in the brothers’ past)]

9. There are many popular songs about therelationship between wealth and happiness.Invite students to compile a list of these. Theycan obtain recordings and listen to the songsand/or read their lyrics. Have students choosesongs from various decades of the 1900s, aswell as more recent recordings. They cancategorize the songs into those that say moneycan buy happiness such as “We’re in theMoney” (by Al Dubin, 1933) and those that sayit can’t, e.g., “Money Can’t Buy Me Love” (byJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney, 1964). Somestudents may wish to write their own songlyrics or poems about money and happiness.

Activities to accompany Chapter 5 & 6.

10. Have students search the Internet for recentarticles, press releases, and editorials on “biggovernment,” “government bloat,” “pork barrellegislation,” and “deficit spending.” They canprint out the articles and scan them forportions that link Republicans and/orDemocrats to expanding government programs.

After students read the articles, lead adiscussion on the following question: Do moreDemocrats than Republicans vote to expand thefederal budget, or do the two major partiesseem equally responsible for “big government”?

11. If any students have part-time jobs, invitethem to use their paycheck stubs to calculatethe percentage of earnings that is deductedfrom their paycheck each pay period. Havestudents do library and Internet research tocreate a glossary on tax terms. Ask them todefine terms such as the following:

• Tax bracket • Tax deduction• tax refund • tax shelter • tax return • Social Security number

12. Have students collect and read current andarchived newspaper and magazine articles onthe federal income tax cuts that Congresspassed in the early 2000s at the urging ofPresident George W. Bush. Also encourage themto read editorials and lawmakers’ press releasesthat express various points of view on the cuts.Then have students form three groups andreport on the tax cuts in the following ways:

a. Present a factual account of the Bush tax cuts.

b. Hold a debate on the following question: Wasit wise or unwise to cut taxes during this timeperiod? (Consider the state of the U.S.economy, as well as the wars in Afghanistanand Iraq, and the struggle to prevent terrorism.)

c. Make predictions regarding future effects thatthe cuts may have on the federal budget.

Activities to accompany Chapter 7, 8, 9.

13. Have interested students read Silent Spring byRachel Carson (available in paperback fromMariner Books, 2002; 40th anniversary edition.

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The Gale Group publishes a downloadable StudyGuide to help students read this nonfictionclassic. Have students hold a book talk inwhich they summarize the information theylearned from Silent Spring and discuss theiropinions and feelings about the issues thatCarson presents.

14. Have students create a timeline that shows thehistory of DDT use in the United States. Onepossible source of information is theEnvironmental Protection Agency’s website.<http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/ddt/02.htm>

15 Have students research malaria. Assignsubtopics such as the following to individualsor pairs:

• how malaria is carried and who discovered thisimportant scientific fact;

• what malarial symptoms are, and how thedisease kills people;

• how the disease can be prevented and cured;

• how many people malaria currently kills peryear, and where most of its victims live;

• why disease control experts such as Amir Attaranand Roger Bate disagree with USAID (the U.S.Agency for International Development) regardingthe use of DDT to combat malaria.

• Have researchers present their findings to thegroup as part of a roundtable discussion.

16. Point out that apparently CNN founder TedTurner (the interviewee who scolds Stossel)believes that the world is getting too crowded.Ask students how the 20/20 reporter countersTurner’s statement that “Eventually, you standaround in the desert with nothing to eat.”After doing research on world populationstatistics and on famines in Africa andelsewhere, have students write a persuasive

essay that tells whom they agree with—Stosselor Turner—and why.

18. Have students research landfills. They can drawa diagram that shows a landfill’s parts anddescribes each part’s function. Students canfind a detailed article on this topic on thewebsite HowStuffWorks.com.<http://people.howstuffworks.com/landfill6.htm>

19. Have students find answers to the followingquestion: How successful are recycling programsin the United States today? Are they accom-plishing their goals? To find answers, studentsmight visit websites sponsored by environ-mental advocacy groups such as the NationalResources Defense Council <nrdc.org> or theSierra Club <sierraclub.org>. Ask students tobrainstorm a list of changes that might makerecycling programs more effective.

Activities to accompany Chapter 10.

20. Have students conduct a survey based on thefollowing question: In the United States,generally speaking, are we better or worse offtoday than we were one hundred years ago? Ifstudents wish to, they can include morespecific survey questions regarding work, freetime, environmental pollution, and medicaltreatment. Tell them to attempt to interview avariety of people (based on traits such as age,income level, cultural group, and political affil-iation). Before they conduct their survey,students should write a hypothesis thatpredicts what their research will reveal. Havestudents write a few paragraphs to sum uptheir survey results.

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Resources

Internet

If you have access to the Internet, here are somesources of information on issues that John Stosseldiscusses on the DVD:

Partial Transcript of John Stossel’s Lies, Myths,and Downright Stupidity<http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/2020/myths_john_stossel_040123-6.html#anchor>***

KidsHealth<http://kidshealth.org>This site on children’s health features sections forparents, kids, and teenagers.

World Population Information from the U.S.Census Bureau<http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/world.html> Includes up-to-the-minute statistics as well asprojections that extend to the year 2050.

Environmental Protection Agency<http://www.epa.gov>The EPA’s website includes a Kids’ Club and asection for teachers. Students can use the website’sSearch function to find information on a variety oftopics related to environmental pollution and theEPA’s activities.

National Resources Defense Council<http://www.nrdc.org>News and historical information on environmentalthreats, protection, and legislation. Links to publi-cations and related websites. Includes a Searchfunction that can be used to research environ-mental topics.

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“Lie, Myth,” or Example of“Downright Stupidity”

Activity #1: Response Chart

As you watch Lies, Myths, and Downright Stupidity, use the second column of the chart to record yourreactions to the information John Stossel reports, as well as the opinions and conclusions that he andothers express. Also jot down any questions that come into your mind as you view the show.

#10 Getting cold can give you a cold.

#9 In America we have less free time than we used to.

#8 American families need two incomes.

#7 Money can buy happiness.

#6 Republicans shrink thegovernment.

#5 In America the rich don’t pay their fair share of taxes.

#4 Chemicals are killing us.

#3 The world is getting toocrowded.

#2 We’re drowning in garbage.

#1 Life, Better or Worse?

Your Own Opinions, Feelings, and Questions